A series we began last year that we’ll conduct throughout the offseason. A review of individual players’ seasons, looking at their good, bad, role, and future with the team.
We’ll continue with wide receiver Diontae Johnson.
Diontae Johnson – Wide Receiver (Entering 5th Year)
Pros: Shifty route runner. Able to consistently separate at top of route. Especially creates space at top on curls/comebacks. Quickly gears down. Improved nuance as a route runner to change tempo and throw in more head fakes to get DBs to bite. Capable of making highlight reel catches outside his frame, flashes body control and tracking. Has good feel for sideline and keeping his feet inbounds. Able to run full route tree. Threat post-catch when he gets upfield, able to juke and shake defenders 1v1 in space. Hard worker, one of first on the field at practice and puts in reps before/after practice with personal coach. Has worked to grow as a leader and presence in the Steelers’ locker room. Capable punt returner but has been taken off those duties as receiver role expanded.
Positive Clips (Route-Running)
Cons: Loses focus on football and takes eyes off it too early, leading to ugly drops. Needs to look ball in, especially on in-breaking routes before trying to get upfield. Stacks bad plays and reps and drops tend to come in bunches. Tries to do too much in open field and will run backwards, look to make amazing play and cost himself yards. Seems to get down on himself and in slumps where he compounds mistakes; must bounce back quicker. Not as effective on double-moves as you’d like. Shows poor body language on the field when he’s frustrated. Doesn’t celebrate with teammates on the field like everyone else. Couldn’t find the end zone a year ago and missed out on prime opportunities. Moderate effort as blocker but lack of size makes him ineffective.
Negative Clips (Running Backwards)
Role: Starting “X” receiver in Steelers’ offense. Career-high 1,042 offensive snaps last season. Finished 2022 with 86 receptions for 882 yards and zero touchdowns. Set NFL record for most receptions in a season without a touchdown. Hasn’t found the end zone on his last 97 receptions, dating back to 2021. Seven drops in 2022 (per PFR), second-most of career but only two more than 2021 with 4.8% drop rate (second-lowest of career). Career-low 2.7 YAC/R in 2022, dropped from 4.9 in 2021. Registered 25.1% of his snaps in the slot last season. Broke eight tackles, tied 10th-most in the NFL, 15th best break tackle rate (minimum 50+ receptions). 147 targets were tied for 7th-most in 2022. Signed through 2024 season.
Future: Will return as the team’s starting wide receiver opposite George Pickens. Still the favorite to lead the team in receptions and targets given the position he plays and the volume of snaps he sees but Pickens may become the go-to and biggest playmaker in the receiver room. Johnson is a talented player and hard worker who has become the butt of the joke at times throughout his career. Sometimes it’s fair, sometimes it’s not. He just needs to find consistency and avoid slumps to routinely display his talent.
